142 national geographic • april 2017
When this wooden paddle blade from Nunalleq was new, people relied on
kayaks to get around. Modern Yupiks use motorboats to visit other villages, hunt
sea mammals, and net fish. Mike Smith (right) waded into the Kanektok River
before work to hook a few salmon, which he gave to his grandmother. “She was
so happy, she put on her apron right away and began cutting them up,” he says.